Short-Handed Rise Fall in Four at Dallas
Published on February 8, 2026 under Major League Volleyball (MLV)
Grand Rapids Rise News Release
FRISCO, Tx. - Winning the opening set wasn't enough to turn the tide on Sunday, as the Grand Rapids Rise fell to the Dallas Pulse in four sets in the first-ever meeting between the two franchises in Dallas. The Pulse won by set scores of 22-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-21.
The loss marked the Rise's fourth straight defeat, with each of their last three losses coming in four sets, while the Pulse snapped a two-match losing streak.
Grand Rapids played without three regular contributors due to illness or injury: outside hitter Paige Briggs-Romine, opposite hitter Elizabet Inneh, and opposite hitter Lauren Jardine-Clark.
Dallas, led by 2025 MLV first overall draft pick Mimi Colyer with 27 points (a match-high 22 kills, four blocks, and an ace), posted a better hitting percentage (.263 to .112) and outblocked the Rise, 12-4. Taken three picks later at fourth overall, Rise rookie Alexis Shelton led Grand Rapids with 15 points on 13 kills and two aces. Shelton played out of position on the right side as an opposite with both Inneh and Jardine-Clark out.
Shelton and team captain Carli Snyder had four kills for the Rise in the first set. A kill and the first block of the match from middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan extended a 4-0 run and gave the Rise a 23-19 edge. A Dallas service error closed out the set, 25-22.
The Pulse turned to Kaylee Cox off the bench in the second set, and she delivered with five kills on six swings (.833). Colyer also added five kills as Dallas turned the match around with a 25-18 win.
The third set opened with an ace from Allison Mayfield before Dallas began to take over at the net. The Pulse recorded eight of their 13 blocks in the frame, with five different players contributing. The Rise pulled within a point at 17-16, but Dallas closed the set on an 8-0 run to win, 25-16, capped by a set-point block from 6-foot-7 middle blocker Tristin Savage. The Pulse held Grand Rapids to a -.057 hitting percentage in the set.
The Rise battled back multiple times in the fourth set, most notably when an ace from Snyder tied the score at 10-10, followed by a second ace from Shelton in crunch time to pull within one, 21-20. Nonetheless, Dallas closed out the match on Cox's 14th kill and a block from 5-foot-10 setter Natalia Valentin-Anderson, 25-21.
Valentin-Anderson finished with 50 assists, while Rise setters Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres (25 assists) and Camryn Turner (nine) both saw action. Mayfield and libero Elena Oglivie both had four assists as well on out-of-system balls.
Oglivie recorded a season-high 20 digs, surpassing 500 for her Rise career with a total of 513. The Stanford product from Honolulu, Hawaii, became the first player in franchise history to reach the 500-dig milestone entirely in a Rise uniform.
Dallas had five different players record double-digit digs: Valentin-Anderson (18), Cox (13), Kendall White (13), Kelsie Payne (11), and Colyer (10).
Notes
Rise second-round draft pick Candela Alonso-Corcelles from Madrid, Spain, made her first professional appearance late in the fourth set, coming on to serve. Every player on the Rise roster has now played a set this season.
Middle blocker Hattie Bray recorded her first pro block in the third set.
Snyder finished with 13 kills and 12 digs, moving into second place in franchise history with 404 kills, surpassing Emiliya Dimitrova and closing in on Claire Chaussee (429). She already holds the franchise records for most points (487) and aces (37) and is just one double-double shy of tying Chaussee at 16.
The Rise are 2-7 all time when facing a franchise for the first time, with wins over the Columbus Fury and Atlanta Vibe.
GR 25 18 16 21 - 1
DAL 22 25 25 25 - 3
Team Leaders
GR: Kills - Carli Snyder 13, Alexis Shelton 13, Allison Mayfield 10; Assists - Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres 25, Camryn Turner 9, Elena Oglivie 4, Mayfield 4; Aces - Shelton 2, Mayfield 1, Snyder 1; Blocks - Rhamat Alhassan 2, Alyssa Jensen 1, Hattie Bray; Digs - Oglivie 20, Shelton 14, Snyder 12.
DAL: Kills - Mimi Colyer 22, Kaylee Cox 14, Layne Van Buskirk 8; Assists - Natalia Valentin-Anderson 50, Kendall White 5; Aces - Colyer 1, Sofia Maldonado Diaz 1; Blocks - Colyer 4, Van Buskirk 3, Kelsie Payne 2, Tristin Savage 2; Digs - Valentin-Anderson 18, Cox 13, White 13, Payne 11, Colyer 10.
A - 1,605
Record / Next Match
Grand Rapids: 2-6 / Thu., Feb. 12 vs. San Diego Mojo, 7 p.m.
Dallas: 5-3 / Thu., Feb. 12 at Omaha Supernovas, 8 p.m. EST
Major League Volleyball Stories from February 8, 2026
- Dallas Pulse Powers Past Grand Rapids Rise in Four Sets - Dallas Pulse
- Supernovas Outlast Valkyries in Five Sets for Franchise-Record Fifth Straight Win - Omaha Supernovas
- Valkyries Come up Short in Five-Set Thriller against Omaha - Orlando Valkyries
- Short-Handed Rise Fall in Four at Dallas - Grand Rapids Rise
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
